Martin Luther King Jr. Day provides a wealth of opportunities for students to learn about the life of Dr. King, to celebrate his accomplishments, and to participate in community service projects. Following are just some of the events and programs planned across the district’s elementary schools:
At Spoede Elementary School, The Black Rep will present Hip Hop Aesop to students beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17, 2012. From 1-2 p.m. the same day, there will be a presentation of the African folktale Anansi, the Spider, followed by presentations of poems, essays and songs by each grade level.
Conway Elementary School has been incorporating lessons about segregation, equality, perspective taking, the Underground Railroad and much more throughout the entire month. Each child will experience lessons facilitated through the school’s library using a variety of rich literature and biographies. In addition, students are learning about the “I Have a Dream” speech during classroom lessons.
Old Bonhomme Elementary School will once again be hosting their two annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day events. First, students and parents will gather to use their “day off” for Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day of service. Thousands of sandwiches will be made and delivered, along with thousands of previously gathered socks to area homeless shelters.
In addition, on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 7 p.m., Old Bonhomme Elementary students will perform a celebration of Dr. King’s life and work at the Ladue Horton Watkins High School Performing Arts Center. Students, entire classes and others will perform skits, songs and poems related to this year’s theme: “Building Bridges.” The event is free of charge and open to the public. (Click here for Patch.com article and pictures of the event.)
Reed Elementary School is honoring and teaching about Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the month of January by reading books, writing poems, and watching videos. In addition, the entire main hall of this school has been turned into a Hall of Honor with monthly displays on specific themes. In January, the Hall of Honor is completely dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. and contains poems about his life and work from students in every grade level.
“Martin Luther King Jr. Day provides tremendous learning opportunities for our students,” explains Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Donna Jahnke. “It’s one of the many ways we work to embed multicultural learning into our curriculum throughout the school year.”